Our beloved dog

Our beloved dog

Jason and I have a little French bulldog named Zola. She just had her 1st birthday. And, as should be expected, Jason and I are proud papas. She’s a lovable puppy full of playful energy.

Every night, no matter what has happened during the day, she gets our fullest attention. We find delight in almost everything she does and we find her so adorable to the point that we take pictures of her each night and send them to each other… even though we are sitting across the room from each other.

But all puppies have a favorite, and for Zola, it’s Jason. He’s the loving, nurturing one. I’m the one attempting to train her… the disciplinarian.

She and Jason are amazing together and she has him wrapped around her little paw. To see the way she just looks at him adoringly is a pure delight. So, when she does something that she shouldn’t — like chew on a shoe or nibble on furniture — Jason sometimes finds it cute, while I try to explain that he should correct her. Well, at that point, Jason gets annoyed at me! And, when I then look at Zola, she has a look on her face like she’s thinking, “ha ha, got you.”

Imagine her surprise when Jason had to go off to take care of his father for the holiday, and she’s left home alone with me. Somehow, I feel like this is going to be another sequel to the movie, “Home Alone.” I’ve stocked up on treats and puppy toys, but I think she’ll find delight in just being her stubborn, lovable self.

Mark Segal, PGN publisher, is the nation’s most-award-winning commentator in LGBT media. You can follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MarkSegalPGN or Twitter at https://twitter.com/PhilaGayNews.